Robotics Plus’s latest commercial innovation is Prospr, an autonomous, multi-use hybrid vehicle designed to carry out various orchard and vineyard crop tasks. Image courtesy Robotics Plus
Yamaha Motor has announced it will acquire New Zealand-based agricultural automation company Robotics Plus, to form the foundation for a new company: Yamaha Agriculture. Yamaha Agriculture will focus on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions, in order to help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient in the face of scarcer resources and climate change.
Robotics Plus specialises in developing automation solutions for agriculture, combining expertise in robotics, automation, sensing, and data analytics. Its latest development, Prospr, is an autonomous, multi-purpose hybrid vehicle designed to perform a range of orchard and vineyard tasks. Built to tackle labour shortages and enhance efficiency, precision, sustainability, and safety, Prospr is capable of multiple activities including spraying and weed control, with additional attachments such as mowing in development.
Since 2017, Yamaha Motor has supported Robotics Plus with strategic investment to drive development of agricultural automation technologies and to expand its presence in the agtech sector. Following the acquisition of Robotics Plus, the company will continue to operate its core business at its headquarters in Tauranga, retaining skilled jobs and IP development in New Zealand, while benefiting from the support of Yamaha Agriculture, to grow globally.
“Robotics Plus was founded on a vision to develop state-of-the-art robotic technology to solve some of the global agriculture industry’s biggest challenges, including labour, productivity and sustainability issues,” explained Steve Saunders, co-founder and chief executive officer of Robotics Plus.
“This acquisition is a testament to the strong partnership we’ve built with Yamaha over the years, driven by a shared vision and commitment to empowering large-scale growers. Innovations like Prospr are at the heart of Yamaha Agriculture’s global strategy, enabling a data-driven approach to precision agriculture. With Yamaha’s support, we are poised to accelerate our robotics innovations, significantly scale our hardware manufacturing, and expand further into key markets such as the US, and beyond.”
Dr Alistair Scarfe, co-founder and chief engineering officer at Robotics Plus, added that the company’s mindset was critical in its expansion.
“To drive meaningful change in agriculture, you need to think big and tackle globally scalable challenges,” said Scarfe.
“Over the years, we’ve greatly benefited from Yamaha Motor’s deep industry expertise, and we’re excited to take our innovations even further with Yamaha Agriculture with a continued focus on quality, reliability, and safety.”
Nolan Paul, group CEO at Yamaha Agriculture, Inc. said that with the challenges facing specialty crop growers, there is a need for innovation and close collaboration between growers and industry partners.
“The capabilities of Robotics Plus in robotics and automation will be an important building block in addressing these challenges, along with AI-powered data analytics,” said Paul.
“We are committed to a deliberate approach that prioritises creating real value for growers while maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability for which Yamaha Motors is known.”
Delivering data-driven decision making
Yamaha Agriculture will combine Robotics Plus’s robotic solution Prospr with another of its recent acquisitions: The Yield, which brings advanced data analytics and AI-powered models to deliver yield predictions and optimise on and off-farm operations.
The aim of this combination is to further support producers of wine grapes, apples, and other specialty crops across Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Leveraging Yamaha’s heritage, the new agriculture business will integrate the technologies to create a comprehensive platform that enables precision farming for growers. By combining autonomous equipment with data insights, Yamaha Agriculture aims to help growers reduce input costs, optimise resource utilisation and improve overall farm productivity and sustainability.
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